Park Ridge, Ill. - The Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors (COP/C) announced unanimous approval today for Rutgers University to join the Big Ten Conference, with competition to begin in all sports at a date to be determined. Rutgers University also looks forward to joining the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), a consortium of world-class research institutions dedicated to advancing their academic missions.

"The Big Ten includes America's most highly regarded academic institutions, known for both their athletic success and academic achievement," said Rutgers President Robert Barchi. "This is exactly the right conference for Rutgers. Our university is one of the nation's leading research universities and our student-athletes excel in the classroom and on the playing field."

"On behalf of the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors, I am pleased to welcome Rutgers University to the Big Ten Conference," said COP/C Chair and University of Iowa President Sally Mason. "When considering the full spectrum of academic, athletic and research prowess, Rutgers clearly makes for a perfect fit as one of the premier public land-grant institutions on the East Coast. We are excited to welcome them within our ranks, and look forward to collaboration and competition with yet another great Big Ten university."

"This is a historic day for Rutgers University," said Rutgers Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tim Pernetti. "It is an honor to join such a prestigious conference and begin our partnership with the outstanding institutions in the Big Ten. There is no finer conference in the nation that combines top-notch academics and athletics."

In order for an institution to be admitted to the Big Ten Conference, it must submit a written application, which must then be approved by at least 70 percent of the Big Ten COP/C. Rutgers University formally submitted an application to join the Big Ten Conference on Tuesday. The Big Ten COP/C then met via conference call and unanimously approved Rutgers' application.

"The Big Ten Conference is pleased to announce that Rutgers University will soon join the conference family," said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. "The additions of Rutgers and the University of Maryland further expand the Big Ten's footprint while helping solidify our presence on the East Coast. Both institutions feature a combination of academic and athletic excellence and will prove a great fit for our future."

About Rutgers University: Established in 1766, Rutgers is America's eighth oldest institution of higher learning and one of the nation's premier public research universities. Serving nearly 60,000 students on campuses in Camden, Newark and New Brunswick, Rutgers is one of only two New Jersey institutions represented in the prestigious Association of American Universities. Rutgers is the sole university in the United States that is a colonial college, a land-grant institution, and a public university. The university draws on a storied legacy of innovation and strong ties to a complex and diverse state to serve the public through education, research, and community engagement.

About the Big Ten Conference: The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in student-athletes' lives and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The broad-based athletic programs of the 12 Big Ten institutions sponsor 298 teams competing for championships in 25 official conference sports, 12 for men and 13 for women. Big Ten universities provide in excess of $136 million in athletic scholarship aid to nearly 10,000 men and women student-athletes, the most of any conference. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.